Drastic Reassurance
by Crowbartender
Summary: Zoey wasn't expecting to find herself in Aphrodite's room after leaving her own in fear of being attacked. A x Z


**The lack of Aphrodite x Zoey fics was bothering me so... I made one myself! Yay? **

**You must understand that this is a one-shot and will not be continued unless hell freezes over and I get a good idea that can lead up to a 20 chapter (or more) fic. So in other words, it's not gonna happen. **

**Warnings: Untamed spoilers, OOCness, lesbian-ness :P**

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When I left my room to find the company I so desperately needed after ten minutes of enduring the constant scraping at my window and the distant calls of Raven Mockers, this door was the last one I expected to be standing in front of. But it felt right even though I thought it was wrong. I raised my hand cautiously, weighing my options before I took the final plunge into unthinkable territory. I could just turn back, pretend I hadn't felt anything watching me, and attempt to sleep restlessly once more. Or I could knock on the door and face who was on the other side with my shamefully lonely self. My shamefully lonely and frightened self.

After a minute longer of considerations, the door swung open, but not by my doing. I blinked in surprise as Aphrodite stood before me, looking as perfect and enviously beautiful as ever, with a tauntingly familiar sneer in place. "You've been standing there forever, get in here already," she demanded, stepping aside and glaring at me as I hastily stepped into her room. It was still undeservingly fabulous, just like I remembered from my first visit.

"How'd you know?" I asked, unaffected by her dramatic eye roll.

"I may not be a vampyre anymore, but your footsteps are pretty easy to pickup thudding down a silent hallway," she replied sarcastically, closing the door and making her way over to her large bed. She sat down and aimed her enraged gaze at me. I'm not sure if it was because of my reluctance to knock on her door or because she hated admitting she was human. Special or not, Aphrodite wasn't happy with what she had become after giving Stevie Rae her own vampyrism as a sacrifice. It had completed Stevie Rae's Change though, so a part of me felt that Aphrodite knew doing the right thing, even if it was unintentional, was what mattered. Of course, when I say that, I mean the nice Aphrodite who was probably imprisoned even deeper in the mean one for thinking how doing the right thing felt good.

"Oh," was my intelligent response. Aphrodite shot me another dirty look and I wasn't sure what I'd done wrong this time. I wasn't psychic so I didn't say anything, just focused on my bare feet for condolence that I certainly wasn't finding in Aphrodite.

"I guess obvious signs aren't the way to go with you," she said in annoyance. I still remained silent, even though she was kind of grinding on my nerves now. "What are you doing here?" She asked and I now understood why she kept scowling at me.

"I..." That didn't explain much. "I was..." Neither did that. "I was scared." That's a bit better, but the heat gathering in my cheeks didn't make me feel any less humiliated about showing weakness in front of my past enemy. I glanced up once and met Aphrodite's eyes for a moment before she looked at the spot next to her and back at me again. I wasn't sure if I comprehended it the right way, but I took that as a silent invitation to sit down. She didn't seem angered by my presence on her bed so I decided I was right about her wanting me to sit beside her. "I also didn't want to be alone," I added, knowing Aphrodite may begin to consider throwing me out to face the evil plaguing my room.

"Why me?" she asked quietly, focusing on her lap. I swallowed, knowing that I asked myself that exact question when I stood outside of her door.

"I don't know," I admitted, shrugging. I felt her watching me as the confusion between us grew stronger. "Maybe it's because you're the only one who's stuck by me through everything." It was meant to be a suggestion, but it felt more like the answer.

"I didn't really have a-"

"Don't!" I quickly interrupted, feeling it was my turn to do the glaring. Aphrodite seemed taken aback by my outburst and I'm glad she was, I needed her to shut up while I spoke. "Don't turn it into some self absorbed insult, okay?! You don't have to act around me Aphrodite...We're friends," I said firmly, the power in my voice unintended but helped get my message across.

"I know," she replied softly, which surprised me. She usually hated to agree that we were friends, but I wasn't imagining her accepting tone. Her eyes shone with an understanding I never knew she was capable of showing and I felt a thankful smile pull at my lips.

"Thanks for letting me in," I said, aching to keep the mood at its current level of gentleness. It was rare for the both of us to see eye to eye and when we did; I tried to keep us there as long as I could because when we corresponded for that brief moment, I felt that we had a chance at a deep friendship. Not like the one Stevie Rae and I shared, but similar.

"Thanks for not trailing dirt," she replied nonchalantly, basically tearing our gradual bond apart into fragments that drifted away from each other instinctively.

"You just can't help yourself can you?" I questioned aloud, the shattered pieces moving back together as I smiled. Now that I think about it from a less intense point of view, what she said was actually kind of funny. Maybe the reassurance of having company and being away from my creepy room made me more easy going. I didn't feel insulted and I continued to smile at the girl who didn't slam the door in my face when I reached out for help. She had grabbed my pleading hand and yanked me up from my pit of darkness without complaint and I owed her more than she knew.

"It's a reflex," she said smoothly, trying not to seem shocked that I didn't jump down her throat about how rude she was. It was pretty obvious that my leniency was unpredicted, but I chose not the say anything about the odd look she was giving me. The light smile remained in place and I courageously lied down on her pricey bed, watching her eyes follow the movement carefully. "How long are you planning on staying?" The question sounded casual, but I had a feeling there was something more to it.

"Does me being here bother you?" I asked, clasping my hands and resting them on my stomach in relaxation. Aphrodite glanced at my intertwined fingers for a second before looking at me again.

"Not as much as it should," she said with uncertainty clouding her radiant blue eyes. Her answer was a subtle way of telling me that even though I was an unwelcomed addition in her life, she accepted me. It was about time too! I'd accepted our roll in each other's life long ago while she took forever to see past her own reflection and selfish pride. Sometimes I wonder if Aphrodite really has changed.

"Can I sleep here?" Well, that question didn't reflect on any of my thoughts whatsoever. I wasn't even planning on saying anything and I go and ask if I can spend the night in a room occupied by the very girl I was just mentally abusing. I really confuse myself.

"If you must," she said with a little sigh. Though her gaze turned sharp in an instant and she pointed an accusing finger at me, "But you're not sleeping in my bed."

"Aww, but sharing is caring," I joked, poking her still raised finger with a small laugh. She lowered her hand and watched me silently, seeming blind to the humour I clearly displayed.

"It's not like we're going to sleep anyway," she muttered, manoeuvring over to the opposite side of her huge bed until her head was resting comfortably on the pillows. She glanced at the welcoming spot next to her just like she had before. I gladly acknowledge her sly invitation and warily joined her. Aphrodite's pillows were wonderfully soft, not that this was surprising considering how loaded she was. I turned on my side and buried my face into the pillow's comforting warmth, not expecting to smell Aphrodite's scent so vividly on it. It was hard not to recognise the overpriced perfume she continuously wore wafting from the fabric. I opened my eyes after my moment in bliss and noticed Aphrodite sending me a confused stare.

"Sorry," I murmured with a small smile. "You probably don't want my average priced self infected your things, right?" Aphrodite shrugged and my eyebrows shot up in astonishment. Since when did she stop caring about who touched her stuff?

"You've infected me, so it's only normal that my possessions are next," she explained with a tone of defeat. I laughed and reached out towards her, making sure to go slowly to catch her attention. She didn't slap my hand away like I thought she would once its advance was made clear, she just watched.

"There's still plenty of infections I'm sure you don't have yet," I said, trying not to laugh as Aphrodite raised an unimpressed eyebrow at me. Her lack of reaction was spoiling my game, so I took things a little further and placed one finger on her cheek. "This infection represents my fashion sense." Which was perfectly fine by the way. I added another finger to her soft skin. "This infection represents my lovely taste in friends." And when I say lovely, I mean it. My smile grew as I added a third finger, thinking of other things that ticked Aphrodite off. But my beam fell as Aphrodite remained unaffected. All she did was stare at me, as if she were observing my behaviour for some kind of test about disabilities. "What's wrong?" I asked, taking my hand away from her face. It felt strange when her eyes followed my hand until I placed it between us.

"I have no idea why I enjoyed that." That was it?! I grinned and lifted my hand, wiggling my fingers in front of her face.

"Magic fingers," I replied with a laugh, letting my hand fall back into its position between us as I continued to beam at Aphrodite in amusement. She met my gaze with a disgruntled look. I bet she didn't understand why she thought I was funny this time. My thoughts concerning her expression halted as her own hand carefully made its way towards mine. "What are you doing?" I asked as her hand covered my own.

"N-nothing!" She said and snatched her hand away and I swear I saw her blush. When did _Aphrodite_ ever blush?! I didn't think I would be the one she messed up in front of, but here she was, blushing and glaring at her quilt cover as if it were the cause of her foolish act. I had no idea what thoughts were going through her head to lead her to do such an affectionate thing. But they must have been baffling because Aphrodite never did unusual things without a reason.

"It's okay if you want to hold my hand, it's not dangerous," I teased. Aphrodite's face scrunched up and she turned around so she was no longer facing me. I giggled and poked her between the shoulder blades, feeling her silky hair brush against my fingers as I did so. "I'm just messing around, don't take it so seriously." She didn't reply. "Aphrodite?" Still no reply. I sighed and bit my lip to stop myself from laughing as I sat up. "You asked for it," I said as a form of warning as I wrapped my arm around her waist and began tickling her stomach like mad. She laughed and my fingers froze. It sounded nothing like the mocking laughs that she always replayed. This was a true laugh. I felt her struggle forward, trying to escape me, but I couldn't let that happen. I quickly turned her so she was lying on her back and I pinned her down with one arm and begun tickling her again.

"Zoey!" She cried in between laughs and I was amazed by how a real smile could make Aphrodite look so much more beautiful than she already was. Yes, it was forced because laughter required smiling, but she looked and sounded so wonderful that I couldn't stop poking the tender areas on her smooth stomach. I felt the fluttering of butterflies inside of me as she called out my name breathlessly again and again. The tears glistening in her eyes and the heavy pants of her breathing signalled me to stop my attack and I sat on top of her with a big grin.

"You should laugh more often," I said, my eyes drawn to the hasty rise and fall of her chest. I looked away instantly once I realised she wasn't wearing anything underneath her nightshirt.

"_Hell_ no," she growled, her glare deadly as she grabbed my shoulders and switched our positions, slamming me roughly down onto her bed. Unlike her, I could put up much more of a fight and I tried to roll away, but one of her hands grabbed mine and held it above my head. With my free hand, I attempted to push her away, but she managed to get a hold of that one too and forced it to join the other above me. I clenched my eyes shut and arched my back, hoping to knock her off me, but she remained firmly in place. I collapsed back onto the bed, noting that both of her hands were occupied so I opened my eyes to see what her next move was. I wasn't expecting to see Aphrodite's bright blue eyes greet me so closely. Her fight to restrain me had her breathing heavily and I wondered what toothpaste she used because it smelt really good. Edible even.

I blinked and stared up at Aphrodite in confusion. "This isn't right..." I started with uncertainty, glancing at her slightly parted lips with a longing that never reared itself until now.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." I could make that literal if I acted on my twisted desires. "It should be illegal or something to want to kiss a nerdy freak like you," she continued, her thumb stroking over my wrist.

"It should also be illegal to want to kiss a sadistic, selfish, spoilt girl like you," I countered, returning the glare she was giving me. I released a shaky breath as her body pressed into mine forcefully, the contact sending chills down my spine even though she was pleasurably warm. "But it's not illegal," I said sadly, gasping as her knee slid its way up between my legs.

"Such a shame," she sighed, dipping down to deliver the delicious kiss I never believed I wanted.

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**I actually didn't like how this turned out. Maybe it's an author thing? Every time I read it, it seems to get worse and make less sense... Oh well, hoped you liked it anyway. **


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